Asphalt and road oil and process of producing the same



Jan. 28, 1930. J. F. FABER ET AL 1,745,155

ASPHALT AND ROAD OIL AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Dec. 20, 1926 gwuomtow W. & M

mam/M4 ma ywif/ 7 m Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE JACOB r. FAIBER,'OF INGLEWOOD, Arm MARVIN L. OHAPPELL, or Los ANGELES, CALI- :romuA, ASSIGNOBS r STANDARD OIL COMPANY or CALIFORNIA, or SAN FRAN- crsco, cALmonNIA, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE ASPHALT AND ROAD OIL AND PROCESS OlE PRODUCING THE SAME Application filed December 20, 1926. Serial No. 155,795.

This invention relates to asphalt and road oil and to a process of producing the same, and refers particularly to a process of increasing the ductility of asphaltic materials and particularly to the production of an asphalt having a high ductility at low temperatures.

Heretofore difficulty has been experienced in providing an asphaltic material suitable as a covering material for the construction of roads due to the difliculty of providing an asphaltic material possessing considerable I ductility at low temperatures. The asphalt and asphaltic materials employed for such purposes, as for example, the construct-ion of concrete pavements, road oils, roofing material, or battery sealing compounds have had a tendency at low temperatures to contract.

and crack.

An object of the present invention is to provide a product and process of producing the same which is better adapted for the production of a material of this class which will not crack and will possess an increased ductility at low temperatures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a product and process of the above type which can be employed by use 'of a waste material or material of low value.

We have discovered that the properties of asphaltic material, particularly the duetility of the same, can be materially improved by heating the asphaltic material preferably while distilling the same, with a'sulpho-acid. Apparently the sulpho-acid has a polymerizing and oxidizing action upon the asphaltic constituents. As a result of this polymerization and oxidizing reaction, the produced asphaltic constituents are more ductile at low temperature and, moreover, the product is more homogeneous and will not separate upon heating. The asphaltic materials produced the asphalt is made more homogeneous and this effect is substantially eliminated.

The present invention will be more thoroughly understood from a description of the preferred form or forms of a process and product embodying the invention, and for this pur ose, we have hereinafter set forth the pre erred processes and products embodying the invention.

In the preferred process, sulpho-acids are added to a petroleum oil before the distillation of the oil to an asphalt. The oil preferably is one in which the lower boiling point constituents have been first separated. For example, in the preferred process, we take crude oil and distill from said oil the gasoline, kerosene and gas oil fractions before the addition of the sulpho-acids. The petroleum oil, it is understood, should be an oil containing an asphaltic base by which is meant either a pure asphalt base or a mixed base crude. When employing a mixed base crude, it is preferable to select a petroleum oil or residuum which has a paraffin wax content of less than 3 per cent by weight. A higher wax content is generally found to lessen the ductility of the product.

As the sulpho-acid employed, we prefer to employ a sulfuric acid sludge which has been derived from the sulfuric acid treatment of lamp oil distillate with hot fuming sulfuric acid, or a sludge produced by the sulfuric acid treatmentof a lubricating oil distillate with a 66 Baum sulfuric acid. It is understood, however, that any other sulpho-acid or sludge derived from the treatment of any petroleum oil, petroleum oil distillate, shale oil or coal tar oils may be employed. Moreover, the process of the present invention may be employed and sulpho-acid sludge or tar from which the uncombined sulfuric acid .has been separated or which has been acid to the asphaltic material or oil containing the asphaltic material which is to be treated, it is also possible to produce said sulphoacid in the oil containing the asphaltic material by the addition of sulfuric acid, sulfuric trioxide, or similar materials, in which case the action of the sulpho-acid producing agent may take place simultaneously with the action of said sulpho-acid in polymerizing and oxidizing the oil. Thus, for example, an ad mixture of cold oil and sulfuric acid may be introduced into a distilling chamber and heated to a distilling temperature with the resultant elfect that the sulfuric acid will be caused to react upon the oil to form the sulpho-acid which will then commence the polymerizing and oxidizing reaction.

In the preferred process, however, the sulpho-acid employed is one derived as a by-product from the refining of other materials such as those mentioned, inasmuch as sulpho-acids of this form are generally a waste product or a product of little value. In order to facilitate further description of the preferred process, reference is made to the accompanying drawin which illustrates diagrammatically a suitable apparatus for conducting the reaction of the sulpho-acids upon the asphaltic materials.

In the drawings:

The apparatus is indicated in diagrammatic form and in elevation and mainly in vertical section.

Referring to the drawings, 9 indicates a reaction chamber preferably a still, which reaction chamber is indicated as mounted over the furnace 3 or other suitable heating means. 1 indicates an inlet line for introducing the oil or asphaltic material to be treated, to-

getherwith the sulpho-acid or sulpho-acid producing material. The still or reaction chamber 9 is provided with a draw-off line 2 for removal of the produced asphaltic material. The still also is indicated as provided with a plurality of baflles 4: for facilitating continuous operation and with a plurality of steam" or air lines 8 connected with the distributors 5 and 6.

The still or reaction chamber 9 is preferably connected with a vapor line 10 which leads to a condenser 12 in a cooling box 11 and hence to a receiver 14. The receiver 14 has a line 15 connected with a vacuum pump 13 by which a vacuum or reduced pressure may be maintained upon the still or reaction chamber 9.

The process will first be described as it is employed for the purpose of making asphalt and road oils. For the manufacture of these products, we prefer, for example, to employ approximately 5 to 30 per cent by volume of sulpho-acid to the oil containin the asphaltic material. The oil and su pho-acids are preferably continuously introduced through line 1 into reaction chamber 9 Wherein the admixture is heated to, a temperature sufiicient for vaporizing the oil from the residual asphalt. This temperature is also suitable for conducting the'polymerizing and oxidizing action of the sulpho-acids upon'the petroleum oil. The temperature to be employed will depend upon the character of asphaltic product to be produced, the character of oil fed to the system, and other factors. Generally, however, the temperature of the still is maintained at about 550 to 600 F., and the distillation is facilitated by the maintenance of a reduced pressure upon the reaction chamber 9. For example, a pressure of from 1 to 3 inches of mercury absolute pressure is preferably maintained within reaction chamber 9. For the production of asphalt and road oil, the distillation is also preferably assisted by the continuous ejection of steam from distributors 5 and 6. The vaporized materials are removed in vapor line 10, condensed in condenser 12, and passed to receiver 14 whereas the asphaltic material, after the desired amount of reduction, is withdrawn from line 2.

For example, in the manufacture of road oil, the material in reaction chamber 9 is first reduced to a penetration of 50 at 77 F. and later admixed with gas oil or other high boiling point petroleum oils and fluxed to the required viscosity or asphaltic content.

In the reaction between the sulpho-acids and the asphaltic materials during the distillation operation, the sulpho-acids not only act as polymerizing agents on the unsaturated hydrocarbons contained in the asphaltic material but also assist in oxidizing the materials and undergo thermal decomposition and polymerization with themselves or with other constituents of the residuum. 'All of the sulpho-compounds and sulfuric acid introduced are broken up with the liberation of sulfur dioxide so that the resultant product is free of mineral acids.

The product produced from this process generally possesses a high ductility at low temperatures and has the property of resistance to cracking in use.

In the manufacture of roofing materials or battery sealing compounds or for many similar purposes, it may be desirable to increase the oxidizing action in the reaction chamber 9 in order to secure a higher melting point. Therefore, in the manufacture of these products, the process is modified by the substitution or injection of air for the injection of steam or by the injection of both air and steam and theoperation is also preferably carried out at a lower temperature such, for example, as 150 to 550 F. In such case, the sulpho-acids exert a polymerizing action and also substantially facilitate or catalyze theair oxidizing or air blowing action.

Where the process is conducted to produce an asphalt material suitable for forming road oil, the preferred process consists in the injection of steam into the admixture of asphalt or mixed base crude oil and sulpho-acids from the distributors 5 and 6 until the polymerization action and decomposition of the sulphoacid is substantially complete, and then air is introduced into the admixture after further oxidation of the contents therein. It is understood that in the production of road oil, the reduction of the oil by distillation to asphalt is less complete than where a solid asphalt is desired.

0 While the process herein described is well adapted for carrying out the objects of the invention, it is understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and the invention includes all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A process ofproducing asphalt which comprises, comingling a petroleum oil having an asphaltic base with an acid sludge containing substantially all reaction products derived from the reaction of sulfuric acid on petroleum oil, and distilling the admixture to asphalt until substantially all the sulfur containing acids in the acid sludge are decomposed into sulfurdioxide.

2. A process of producing asphalt which comprises, comingling a .petroleum oil having an asphaltic base with an acid sludge containing substantially all reaction products produced from the reaction of sulfuric acid on petroleum oil, said acid sludge still containing considerable free sulfuric acid, and

distilling the admixture to asphalt and until substantially all the sulfur containing acids in the acid sludge are decomposed into sulfurdioxide. t

3. A process of producing asphalt which comprises, comingling a petroleum oil having an asphaltic base with an acid sludge containing substantially all reaction products derived from the reaction of sulfuric acid on petroleum oil, and distilling the admixture to asphalt until substantially allthe sulfur containing acids in the acid sludge are decomposed into sulfurdioxide while injecting steam into the admixture undergoing distil lation. I

4. A process of producing an asphalt which comprises, comingling a petroleum oil having an asphaltic base with an acid sludge containing substantially all reaction products produced from the reaction of sulfuric'acid on petroleum oil and distilling the admixture to asphalt under. a pressure less than atmospheric by the application of heat and steam,

the distillation causing substantially all the sulfur containing acids in the acid sludge to be decomposed into sulfurdioxide.

JACOB F. FABER I MARVIN L. GHAPPELL. 

